March 1, 2001

ROSEMEAD, Calif., Mar. 1, 2001-Southern California Edison today unveiled its 2001 energy efficiency measures to help large and small businesses and agricultural customers reduce their electricity usage.  

"We're facing a severe energy shortage, and at SCE we're doing all we can to help businesses lower their energy needs," said Gene Rodrigues, SCE director for energy efficiency programs. 

Through SCE's 2001 Express Efficiency program, rebates are available for the purchase of a variety of energy-efficient products including heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, lighting, covers for refrigerated display cases, reflective window film, and motors.  

Through the Standard Performance Contract (SPC) program, businesses can install other types of energy-efficient equipment and receive an incentive based on the energy savings achieved.  Business owners can either hire a professional contractor to handle the installation and the related energy calculations, or do the work themselves.
Both large and small businesses can participate in the Express Efficiency and SPC programs.

The "Savings By Design" program helps businesses planning new construction or a major renovation to fund the inclusion of energy-efficient lighting, space-conditioning, refrigeration, and process systems in the project. 

In addition, SCE makes energy efficiency information available in other ways to help business owners manage their resources.  An energy use survey geared for small businesses is available on the company's Web site (www.sce.com) and by mail to help customers determine where the most energy is being used, and where cost-effective reductions in energy use can be made. 

Businesses also can obtain a 20-page small business energy guide, fact sheets, and other resources from SCE's Web site.   The energy guide is available in English, Spanish and Chinese.  Vietnamese and Korean versions are expected to be completed later this year.   SCE representatives are available to speak to groups at chamber of commerce, civic and community events, trade shows, and other activities targeting businesses.

For more information on any of these programs, large commercial and industrial customers are urged to contact their SCE account executive.  Smaller businesses can go to www.sce.com and click on "Save Energy and Money" or call 1-800-736-4777 weekdays during business hours.  Funding for these energy efficiency programs is provided by California utility customers and administered by Southern California Edison within its service area under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission. 

# # #

An Edison International company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation's largest electric utilities, serving more than 11 million people via 4.3 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile area within central, coastal and Southern California.